Abstract :
Aquatic sediments are of major importance for the cycling of environmental pollutants, acting as both sinks and secondary sources of contaminants to the ecosystem. Sediment-living organisms can affect the fate and transport of contaminants through activities like feeding and burrowing, collectively called bioturbation. READ MORE

Abstract :
Riparian vegetation along streams and rivers affects the aquatic community in numerous ways and often operates as a link for energy flux between forest and streams. The studies presented in this licentiate thesis focus on light and terrestrial invertebrates, two factors influenced by riparian zone structure, which potentially affect stream ecosystems and thus also brown trout (Salmo trutta). READ MORE

Abstract :
This thesis examines the influence of food availability on the bioaccumulation kinetics and the transport of hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) by the Baltic Sea blue mussel, Mytilus edulis. In laboratory studies, food availability was found to significantly modify the rate of physiological processes involved in filter-feeding. READ MORE

Abstract :
Biological invasion has become a major threat to economy, ecology, global biodiversity and ecosystem function of aquatic ecosystems. The main aim of the thesis was to study the effects of the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha), a versatile invasive species, on phytoplankton dynamics and ecosystem function of lakes. READ MORE